A Forum for Orthodox Jewish thought on Halacha, Hashkafa, and the social issues of our time.

Thursday, August 06, 2015

The Jewish Attitude Towards the Non Jew

Esav Sonei L'Yaakov Is this how we should think of all non Jews?

A few years ago, I had heard a recording of a Chasidic Rebbe
giving a lecture about what our attitude should be with respect to ‘the Goyim’.
He proceeded to say that even though we must be nice to them so as to get along
in society - as Jews we must hate them!

Last night, I heard it again… only with a slightly different
twist. A Yeshivishe version of the same thing. I don’t know the speaker’s name.
I only heard the recording incidentally. It sounded like a high school Rebbe
speaking to his class. He was very clear. Lecturing in what can only be called Yeshivishe
English ( a combination of English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Aramaic) he forcefully urged his
students to understand that the Goyim hate us. Esav Sonei L’Yaakov!

He went on to say that even the Chasidei Umos HaOlam
(righteous gentiles) hate us. Those who saved us in the Holocaust did so because
they thought it is the right thing to do, not because they have any affinity for
us.

I believe this attitude accounts for one of the major differences
between the Charedi world (both Chasidic and Yeshivish) and Modern Orthodoxy of
all stripes.

Before anyone accuses me of Charedi bashing, let me say that the Charedi world has a lot to offer
and a lot to admire. I have said this many times before. Their devotion to a Godly
life is unparalleled in other Orthodox streams. No one pays as much attention
to the details of ritual than they do. No one has as much devotion to Torah study
as they do. No one sacrifices as much materialism the sake of spAirituality as they do. They are surely
more generous with their charitable contributions as a percentage of income
than any other segment. And their Chesed organizations are to be much admired.

But the differences in how to approach the secular world
could not be more stark… as those two lectures illustrate. That is a key
difference that has vastly different consequences for each.

As noted, I have been accused by the right of being a Charedi basher. And ironically - of being an actual Charedi by the left. I am neither. I am a Centrist that
hopefully tries to incorporate the best of both worlds into my life and reject
that part of them that I see as negative.

What is a Centrist? It is someone that sees positive value
in secular studies and pursues it just as he does religious studies –realizing the
primacy off religious studies in all cases. It is someone that sees positive
value in that part of the culture that does not contradict Halacha or our traditional
value system.

We differ with the extreme right in the sense that they do
not see any intrinsic value in secular studies except for a utilitarian one.
And for the most part, they do not see any value at all in secular culture. To
the extent that they may indulge in it, it is usually done with a sense of
guilt.

We differ from the extreme left (e.g. Open Orthodoxy) in the
sense that they have abandoned traditional religious values that contradict
newer societal values. They favor honoring those newer values even if it means
rejecting tradition – as long as there is no technical violation of Halacha. (For
purposes of this discussion I am avoiding the troubling issue of their
tolerance of bible critics in their midst).

But when it comes to how we view non Jews, Centrists and the
left are virtually polar opposites of the Charedi world. It isn’t just those
two lectures that convince me of that. I have had numerous conversations with right
wing Yeshiva Bachurim about ‘the Goyim’. They reflect that disdain. Which is obviously learned directly from their
Rebbeim in lectures like the one I heard. It isn’t even subtle. It is direct. ‘We must
hate them!’ ‘They hate us!’ No
exceptions. Even for the righteous among them.

Centrists and the extreme left have similar views with respect
to non Jews. We differ greatly with Charedim on this issue. We see all human
being created in the image of God and
treat them accordingly. While Charedim believe that too, they go to great
lengths to disparage ‘the Goy’ while warning their students to behave when they
are around them.

There is an explanation for this having to do with Jewish
history and the insular nature of the Charedi world. Rashi’s comment of ‘Esav Sonei
L’Yaakov’ is used to explain centuries of antisemitic violence perpetrated
against the Jewish people wherever they were to be found – culminating in the
Holocaust. With that kind of history, it’s understandable that there is a distrust
of ‘the Goy’. Even when they are nice to you. (They don’t mean it, you know.)

The non Jews I know are nothing like that. They are fine and
decent people – just like us. Many have similar values. This is a secular country
founded on religious tolerance – the first civilized country to do so, I
believe. Its pioneers settled here because of the religious intolerance they
felt back in England. That by its very nature means that this country is going
to be tolerant of its Jewish citizens.

“To Bigotry No Sanction; to Persecution No Assistance” read
George Washington's Letter to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island in 1790. That
is truer today than ever. Certainly that
is the case in post Holocaust 20th and 21st century America. It is the rule – not the exception – that America
sees all men as equal.

And yet the world of the right goes out of their way to not
notice it, or if they do notice it at all, they chalk it up to an exception. The reason for that should be obvious. They are
purposely insular - trying to avoid all contact with non Jews. To the extent
that they have any contact at all, it is only as needed. And when they do, at the back of their minds
is what they have been taught about ‘the Goyim’. That insularity reinforces those
beliefs and attitudes. They hate us – and we should hate them.

That type of thinking can easily impact on decisions to defraud
the government - the kind financial crimes we read about from time to time. It
is true that financial crime exists in all segments of society – religious or otherwise.
Greed has no Hashkafa. But when I see it
in a Charedi Jew – someone whose fear of heaven is palpable - I have to believe
that at least part of their motivation comes from their disdain for ‘the Goy’. This
has to be in part the justification for taking advantage of them –as long as
they don’t get caught.

Is there is no chance of changing things from the inside? I
doubt that they will listen to anyone from the outside. If they do not change
and this community continues to grow exponentially this attitude will not serve
the Jewish people well.

Follow by Email

Followers

Recent Comments

About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.